Networking Offline

Joining a few local industry organizations will help you tap into your business community. They offer tremendous offline networking opportunities which can lead to valuable contacts in your field of work. In fact, a new study released by the American Marketing Association found that 79 percent of hiring managers think that candidates who belong to a professional organization have higher-quality skills than those who do not. You can find these organizations by looking in your local newspaper's business calendar or by going online (search for ‘professional organizations’ on Google.com) There are professional organizations for just about every industry you can think of, so get out there and start making contacts!
Attending trade shows and business expos is another good way of meeting industry peers, who can help you with your job search.

Company alumni networks are also a good lead-generating source. The former employees of many companies continue to stay in touch with each other through these organizations. Since they have worked together in the past, they provide a powerful networking tool. Of course, these exist mainly in large Fortune 500 companies. Joining them provides you with potential contacts at many other companies.

Job clubs are another useful source for job-search support and information about employment opportunities. Some newspapers list job-club meetings in special sections devoted to employment and workplace issues. Job clubs are in almost every city. The Five O’Clock Club (www.fiveoclockclub.com), which has chapters across the country, is one example of a job club support group.

This article is an excerpt from "Ultimate Job Hunting Secrets: Essential tips, tricks and tactics for today's job seeker"